Hullo there. This is possibly my fastest update in a good three years or so. Less than a month guys. Feeling accomplished.
But then again the chapters are a whole lot shorter than my usual length.
It's actually quite refreshing.
Happy Reading!
Disclaimer: Not even when I die and go to the spirit world (assuming that human spirits go to the spirit world, which doesn't seem true according to the movie *shrugs* but hey, a girl can dream)
The Memories Shared Between Us
-Chapter 2: Reunion-
XXX
"Welcome!" Chihiro greeted with a cheerful smile as a group of familiar high school girls entered the spa.
"Hiya, Chi-chan!" they returned in eager unison—this exchange of greetings just the start of their daily onsen regimen.
Without further delay, Chihiro handed them a wooden tag with the number six engraved on the surface.
"Onsen 6 is all ready for you girls—rose petals and epsom to pamper your skin and relieve sore muscles."
Hearty laughter arose from her party of regulars.
"We don't even have to request anymore, do we? Thanks, Chi-chan! You know us best!"
Chihiro blew off the praise with a humble flick of her hand.
"It's my job!"
As the girls filed into the appropriate corridor, one of them—Aya—trailed behind and beckoned Chihiro to come closer. Chihiro blinked questioningly but obeyed, leaning forward so that her ear was next to the girl's mouth.
"Just wanted to let you know that Takeshi and the gang are coming later," Aya whispered.
Chihiro furrowed her brows and gave Aya a look.
"So...? They come all the time."
"Well, you see..." Her lips curved slyly and Chihiro saw a mischievous glint in her friend's eye. "We had a new transfer student today...a really nice transfer student...and he's coming with Takeshi later..."
Chihiro maintained a blank stare and Aya made a frustrated noise.
"Gosh, even though you're the manager of a spa, you're still a girl, Chi-chan! You can't miss out on your springtime of youth! Goukons, karaoke—you gotta do something!"
Finally realizing what Aya was suggesting, Chihiro sighed.
"You know I'm not interested in those things, Aya. Now go on, the bath will get cold. I put a lot of effort into making it with exactly the right amount of every—Ow!"
Aya had given her a merciless flick on the forehead. Chihiro watched with hidden amusement as the other girl huffed in displeasure, wearing a deep frown that caused wrinkles between her brows.
"Geez, you're such a bore, Chi-chan. You'll never get a boyfriend at this rate. You'll be forever alone!"
Leaving that rather intimidating threat hanging in the air, Aya followed the rest of the girls to Onsen 6.
"I never wanted one!" Chihiro yelled after her, but the other girl had already disappeared behind a corner.
Chihiro chuckled softly to herself. This wasn't the first time Aya had tried to hook her up with someone. But, contrary to what others might think, she was quite fond of the pestering. It made her feel like a normal teenage girl being teased about her love life. Although in Chihiro's case, it was also true that she didn't have and didn't want one.
As she returned to the front desk, Chihiro wondered why girls found such frivolous and fleeting relationships to be so significant. It was something she was sure she'd never understand. To other people, love was probably exciting and wonderful and even curing, but to Chihiro, it was none of that—just a cruel reminder of her parents and the memories that she'd lost.
Right now, she focused solely on putting all of her efforts into making the spa successful. It was the least she could do for a mom and dad she couldn't even remember.
"But girls in love are certainly cute," Chihiro smiled as she recalled the first time Aya had come to the spa with her boyfriend.
They were what people called an idiot couple. She would never get tired of watching their antics.
With a yawn, Chihiro rolled her shoulders back and stretched. Then she grabbed her clipboard and headed into the storage room for the weekly checkup.
"Hmmm..." The spa manager scribbled down a crude shopping list as her eyes browsed through the shelves of ingredients. "We need more lilac...crystal sea salt...epsom...wow, I just stocked up on that last month..." Some grumbling and more scribbling. "As for herbs..." She counted on her fingers. "Chamomile...Jasmine...Rosemary...Lavender...Sage..."
A sigh.
"Looks like I've got another long trip to the herbalist."
The delicate tinkle of a bell caught her attention as she was checking the freshness of her mint leaves.
"Coming!"
Chihiro made a final mark on her clipboard and hurried out to meet her customers, not at all surprised to see a troupe of six or seven boys march in, all familiar faces except one.
"Welcome, welcome! How're you guys doing today?"
"Tired," the one called Takeshi groaned. "School sucks, man. I'm beat."
Chihiro sympathized. It was pretty much the same complaint every day, but today the guys seemed more exhausted than usual.
"I'll tell you what." She grabbed a tag from the wall and placed it in Takeshi's hand. "I'll use the last of my rosemary to make the best bath for you guys. You'll feel refreshed in no time."
"That's my girl, Chihiro!" Takeshi threw his arms around her playfully. "I love you so much!"
"Yeah, yeah." Chihiro pushed him away with mock annoyance. "You should be careful, Takeshi. What if your girlfriend sees you?"
"Oh please," Takeshi laughed. "Both you and I know how much Aya loves you. You're like the child we never had."
Chihiro feigned vomiting. "Spare me."
"Now, now, I know you feel touched inside," Takeshi put his hands over his heart.
"So touched," Chihiro rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Now get going, y'all are blocking the entrance."
"Wait, wait, I still have to introduce you to someone!"
Takeshi turned around and pulled the new boy to the front and the first thing Chihiro saw were a pair of beautiful forest green eyes.
"This is Nigihayami Kohaku, the new transfer student."
"Ah, the transfer student."
Takeshi looked at Chihiro with a grin.
"Aya?"
"Who else?" Chihiro smirked before turning back to the guy in front of her. "I'm Ogino Chihiro, the manager of this spa. Nice to meet you, Nigihayami-san."
"You can just call me Haku," the boy said quickly. "And likewise, Ogino-san."
"Then you can call me Chihiro," Chihiro smiled. "Deal?"
She extended her hand and Haku accepted it warmly.
"Deal."
At first it was just a normal handshake. Then Chihiro felt a slight tingle in her fingers, not at all uncomfortable, that slowly became a simmering heat that spread throughout her palm. The other side must've felt the same, for his hand lingered on hers for a second longer than it should have. When he finally let go, a cold breeze rushed through Chihiro's fingers and she had the sudden urge to grab his hand again. Looking up, she saw that Haku was wearing a similar puzzled expression of loss. It was the strangest feeling, but the touch of his hand seemed disturbingly familiar...not 'familiar' as in a returning customer, but something much deeper than that. Chihiro just couldn't pin it down.
Needless to say, she was intrigued.
"So, you're seventeen?" Haku asked, quickly recovering from the moment of confusion.
His voice was velvety smooth but not too deep. Chihiro found it weirdly alluring.
"Yeah. Are you?"
"Yup."
"Surprised to see a girl your age running an onsen spa?" Chihiro gestured to her surroundings.
"Can't say I'm not," Haku replied with a boyish grin. "It's pretty amazing."
A quick once-over easily explained Aya's special mention of this boy earlier. Shoulder-length, straight, silky green hair, a beautiful porcelain face, a lean but muscular figure, and a gentle and kind demeanor. He was the epitome of handsome—a real-life prince. She could already picture the horde of lovestruck girls.
But to her, he was just a pleasant guy. A potential friend, maybe. But nothing more than that.
"Aw shucks," Chihiro laughed as she patted Haku on the shoulder. "Thanks, but it's not really that big of a deal. Just a family business."
"Still, it's not something anyone can do—" he argued righteously.
"Alright, alright, enough with the flattery," she cut in snappishly, though the upward curve of her lips showed her jest. "Your bath is ready. Don't waste my precious herbs and get your butts in the water."
"Okay, okay, we're going," Takeshi drawled and steered Haku in the direction of their room, the other boys following. "You're the best, Chihiro!"
Haku swiveled his head around just in time to see the brunette give a backwards wave of her hand from the front desk.
"It's my job!"
"So, Haku, my boy, what'd you think of our dear manager?" Takeshi brought up casually as the two of them relocated to the slightly quieter end of the bath (the other boys were having a who-can-make-the-biggest-splash contest at the other end) (thankfully the walls were soundproof)
"Chihiro?" Haku echoed, contemplating as he sunk deeper into the soothing rosemary water. "She's a nice girl."
"That's all you have to say?" Takeshi looked incredulous. "Most of the guy customers that come here come because of her. She's like a goddess to them."
Haku blinked at the exaggerated statement and chuckled.
"Wow. I guess she's popular."
"Y'know, you're really being a downer with your boring reactions," Takeshi frowned. "And here I thought we could both have an intimate discussion about how awesome Chihiro is."
Haku cocked a brow at the other boy.
"Last I heard you had a girlfriend?"
"Have," Takeshi corrected defiantly. "And I love her more than anything in the world!"
"Then what's with all the 'Chihiro this' and 'Chihiro that'?"
There was a momentary pause before Takeshi burst into laughter.
"No, no, no," he said, shaking his finger. "You're misunderstanding something here, Haku. Aya is the love of my life. Chihiro is my wonderful daughter."
Haku choked slightly and covered it with a few small coughs.
"Um...okay."
"You get it now?"
"...sure."
"Now what I don't get," Takeshi threw his hands in the air, spraying water everywhere, "—is how you could have such an indifferent response to such a heavenly person."
Haku's mouth twitched at Takeshi's choice of adjectives. He suddenly felt pity towards the girl who had to deal with the brunt of this overflowing affection.
"Well, I just met her half an hour ago, and for only a few minutes. She's still a complete stranger to me."
"Hmm..." Takeshi sighed, somewhat perplexed. "But it usually only takes those few minutes to reel their hearts in. You're a tough one, huh?"
"Why do you like her so much, Takeshi?"
Yes, take the initiative, Haku. Avoid the awkward questions.
"I'm glad you asked!" Takeshi was super cheerful and bright-faced again. Haku wondered if he had made a mistake. "Okay, lemme tell you a story. Only a few people know about this, so keep it secret."
Takeshi's voice suddenly became serious and reminiscent.
"Once upon a time, there was a little girl who had just moved into a new town with her parents. She was really shy at first, but eventually made two really good friends at her elementary school. Their friendship stayed strong into middle school, until the awful day that she and her parents got into a terrible car accident. She was twelve years old at the time. Her parents were killed and she suffered from serious amnesia. She couldn't remember anything. Then she just left without a word, and her two best friends didn't hear from her for another three years. But, when they were all fifteen, the two friends—now in high school—suddenly heard rumors about a really nice onsen place nearby that had recently become a popular hangout for students. So they decided to give it a try and bam! Who did they find at the spa?"
Takeshi paused here for dramatic effect.
"Yes, it was their long lost friend! The little girl who had grown to become a beautiful woman! But she didn't remember them at all, for she had lost her memories, so the two friends decided that they would just befriend her again. They were overjoyed that she, who had left so broken and sad, was now happily running an onsen spa and living her life to the fullest. They decided that they would always watch over her from now on and make sure she doesn't get hurt again. And somewhere along the way the two friends also hooked up and became the cutest couple ever. The end."
Throughout the course of the story, Haku had unconsciously slid down into the water until it reached the bottom of his nose, but now he sat up again, a jumble of thoughts going through his head. Takeshi looked at him expectantly, knowing he had questions.
"So...Chihiro has amnesia?"
"Yup. She still can't remember anything prior to the accident when she was twelve-years-old. Not even her parents."
Haku's mouth opened slightly, but he said nothing.
She's just like me.
"C'mon, spit it out, Haku," Takeshi urged.
"Oh, uh...I suppose you're one of the best friends?"
"Yup. And Aya's the other one. We're the only ones here who really knew her before the accident happened. But it's cool even if she doesn't remember. We're all good friends again, and me and Aya are always supporting her from behind."
Haku finally understood why Takeshi was so loving towards Chihiro. It had been an ordeal for him too, after all.
But now what confused him the most was the peculiar sensation he had felt when he shook hands with Chihiro earlier. The feeling of unparalleled familiarity. It definitely wasn't just his imagination, and he was sure Chihiro had felt it too. But he remembered nothing from his childhood, and certainly could not have met her in recent years, as he had lived quite far away. She didn't seem to have any memory of him either, at least not in the five years after the accident.
So that would mean that, if they really had met before, the encounter was trapped in an empty void of memories that weren't there.
But why such a strong feeling then? If it was just a lost memory, why did he feel as if his past ties with Chihiro were so important?
Haku started blowing bubbles in the water, frustrated and puzzled.
Wasn't this all just one big, unsolvable mystery?
The boys stayed into the evening, later joined by Aya and the other girls, as the spa offered a full-course dinner as well as other engaging activities such as ping-pong and foosball.
The girls left soon after dinner because they needed to finish a group project, but the sun had set long before the guys decided it was about time to leave. They walked out of the ping-pong room to a yawning Chihiro heading down the hallway towards them.
Chihiro noticed the boys mid-yawn and waved. Haku tensed slightly when he made eye contact with her, but it went unnoticed.
"All of the aunties have already gone home," she told them. "You guys are the last ones left. We're 'bout to close up for today."
"We have too much fun here, Chihiro," Takeshi grinned as he draped an arm around her shoulder. "Lost track of time."
"That's wonderful and all but you're cutting into my sleeping hours now." The girl poked him in the ribs pointedly. "And I need my sleep. So get out."
"We're going, we're going." Takeshi raised his hands in the air in defeat and led the boys out of the spa. "As always, thanks for the hospitality, Chihiro."
The other boys echoed him and Chihiro smiled.
"As always, you're welcome to come anytime."
As they filed down the stone pathway leading from the spa to the street, Chihiro suddenly grabbed Haku by the arm and pulled him back, to his utter surprise.
"W-What?" he stumbled, not sure what to make of this.
"How was it?" Chihiro questioned, and quite fiercely at that.
"How was what?" the confused boy repeated.
"Your stay. Here. At the spa."
"Oh." Pause. "It was nice. Very satisfying."
Chihiro exhaled in relief.
"Thank god. I always get nervous when I get new customers. The first experience is crucial, you see."
Haku couldn't help but chuckle. What a dedicated girl.
He had actually planned to bring this up later, but now seemed an appropriate time.
"So Chihiro, about the handsh—"
"Hey Haku, you coming?"
Or not.
Haku sighed and turned around to shout back at Takeshi, "Yeah, I'm coming!"
Then he gave Chihiro an apologetic smile.
"So...I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"
Chihiro laughed and pushed him toward the other guys.
"Yes, I'll see you tomorrow! Now don't keep them waiting. Good night!"
Haku waved back at her as he ran to the other guys.
"Good night!"
Chihiro watched as the group of them disappeared down the street before she returned to the spa and trudged upstairs to her living quarters. She would ask Haku to finish his question tomorrow.
Tomorrow.
There was nobody around to notice, but as she went off to take a shower, Chihiro's footsteps were just a little bit lighter.
So they met again! But didn't remember each other! Wooo!
Haku's getting some notion about what's going on because he's the sharp one, but he's still a long ways off from understanding anything.
Reviews and critiques are much appreciated, as are favorites and follows!
Hope it was more interesting this time around!
-momocandyXD